St. John’s Episcopal Church pledged to support George Floyd protesters even after it was damaged in a fire. Trump later used the church as a photo-op.
A historic Washington, D.C., church damaged during protests against police brutality over the weekend pledged solidarity with protesters on Monday ― hours before President Donald Trump used its building for a photo-op.
Trump used the Bible and St. John’s Church as a backdrop for a message that is “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our church stands for,” Budde said in a separate statement. St. John’s sustained damage late Sunday night during protests. By Monday afternoon, the Episcopal church had set up a hospitality station outside its front doors ― offering protesters water bottles, hand sanitizing liquid, snacks and a place to rest.
“We just wanted to make sure the church wasn’t just a building, that there were people there praying, offering support and solidarity, offering refreshments, opening the door of the church for people to go to the bathroom,” Budde said. “Just to have a sense that we’re not just a historic building, that we’re people who care.”
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades into a crowd of over 1,000 people, The Associated Press reports. The crowd started fires at several nearby buildings, including St. John’s. The church fire was intentionally set, D.C. police said in a tweet. On Monday, church officials said damage from the blaze was primarily contained to the parish nursery, although there was smoke and water damage to other areas of the basement. The graffiti on the exterior of the building has already been covered up, they said. No one from the parish was inside the building at the time it was damaged.
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